Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

A captivating well-researched exploration of witches and magical practices worldwide

A lovely book which complies tales of witches from around the world..it was fascinating to see the ones I recognised, and realise that, in the ones I didn't know, the same themes and threads were woven throughout.

The perfect gift for anyone with even a passing interest in witches of the past, tarot, folklore etc. This is so well written, stunningly illustrated and the stories are captivating. Would recommend buying this in print if possible!

I really liked this book. The book is divided into different types of witches. There are short descriptions of witches from around the world, some fictional and some historical. There is also a folk tale highlighting the characteristic. I learned a lot about other cultures and their mythology. The illustrations are also wonderful. This book will make a wonderful gift. Enjoy

A stunning collection of stories about legendary and lesser known witches all around the world from all walks of lives and cultures. I loooved how each chapter was linked to a tarot card. The illustrations are fitting and stunning!

The Book of Forgotten Witches is a captivating and well-researched exploration of witches and magical practitioners worldwide. The book is divided into ten chapters, each focusing on a different type of witch, from curse-bringers and shape-shifters to nature witches and fate-turners. While most of the stories feature women, this collection also highlights the diverse figures and practices across cultures and time periods.

What makes this book unique is how each chapter is connected to a card from the Major Arcana of the tarot and a stage in the alchemical process of turning base metals into gold. As you learn about the witches, you're taken on a journey of self-discovery and transformation, drawing wisdom and empowerment from the magical traditions of folklore and history.

This extensive collection will appeal to anyone interested in history, alchemy, folklore, or mythology. It reminds readers of the injustices that ordinary people faced due to the fear of witchcraft, often at the hands of monarchs and ruling powers. The chapters are organized by the unique gifts or powers these individuals were believed to possess, such as curse-bringing or nature-based magic, which makes for a fascinating deep dive into their stories.

One of the standout features of this book is not just the richness of its content but also the stunning illustrations. The artwork beautifully complements the stories, bringing the lore and history to life in an engaging and visually striking way.
Overall, The Book of Forgotten Witches is an excellent addition to the shelves of anyone interested in magical history and folklore.

Thank you to NetGalley and Watkins Publishing for providing me with an e-book copy in exchange for my honest review. I can't wait to add this beautiful book to my collection!

From start to finish, I loved the read. It has all the things I like and several surprises up its sleeve. It's a fairly diverse anthology that shows the figure of the witch from different cultures, many of which are not as famous as they should be. There are some well-known names or that are already gaining ground, but the vast majority are characters I hadn't heard of before.

Part encyclopedia and part collection of stories, the prose is perfectly curated, the descriptions and style are evocative, while the art shines throughout. It's a balance that gives the book its own shine along with the charm of the elements that compose it. In addition, the structure it handles is well-crafted.

That's my favorite part. The synopsis makes it seem like there are too many concepts, more ideas than there should be, in a single book. However, the balance is maintained even in the mix of elements. It has a certain air of a self-help book, but a very good one, one that you really want to read, because each story and legend makes you think about yourself.

With a mix of fantasy, folklore, and mesmerizing art, The Book of Forgotten Witches is a perfect adventure that made me travel around the world, discover stories I'd never heard of, and see the figure of witches from another point of view. From vampires to ghosts, guardians to pacts with the devil, it's a book I plan to reread more than once.

Additional review for The Wild Hunt: https://wildhunt.org/2024/10/review-the-book-of-forgotten-witches.html

I love reading up on magical history, and this was substantive while still being accessible. An important contribution to the history of witchcraft, and definitely a good gift for the witchy people in your life. I LOVED the way the chapters were linked to tarot – so clever. A special book, and the perfect read for spooky season.

Excellent gift for Halloween - this volume tells us about the history and the historiography of witches, with examples and educating narratives. Highly recommend for anyone, whether you like Halloween or simply would like to know more truths and facts about witches. #wiccaforever

I loved this one! The stories were well written, there were a bunch of witches I hadn't heard of before, and I couldn't put the book down. I would definitely recommend this for a Halloween display or anyone who is into the witchy/spooky thing. Or just someone who wants to hear some "scary" stories!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The balance between the more narrative stories and the little infographics about different witches and witch like entities from folklore is really well done.
This isn't an area of folklore I know particularly well so I can't comment on it's accuracy, but reading The Book of Forgotten Witches made me want to learn more. The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous. I will probably be buying myself a physical copy so I can fully appreciate this wonderful encyclopaedic book.

I loved the images in this book, and the information was nicely presented, easy to take in bite sized chunks. I'll definitely be getting a hard copy! Really informative and beautiful.

Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

An intriguing and interesting book regarding lore and folklore about witches from all over the world.
Informative and entertaining.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A beautiful book to read to know more about witches and their practice.
I didn't read it in one setting, it's more a book to read a bit by bit to learn and understand.
It's well written and it's a beautiful object. I bought it in hard cover, it's splendid.

Good stories and I loved how they all fit together with the narrator. However, that was also the downfall of the book as I would have to flip back between chapters to figure out what was going on and how they all connected.

I love hearing stories of Witches so this book had exactly what I was looking for, I enjoyed seeing stories and folklore from around the world.

Always love the witchy side of life. There was so much fitted into this book and it really is a full guide spanning different mythology and cultures. The illustrations really bring the book together too - a great addition. I’m just really experimenting with tarot so I enjoyed how this was brought in through the book.

This is such a gorgeous book, with stunning illustrations that it was a pity that it was let down by the written content.

Each chapter classification seemed a bit of a stretch and I found that there was no rhyme or reason to why some of the creatures (not all witches) were in what section.

Each insert was pretty bare bones and could have done with a bit more information in each and I found the short stories at the end of each chapter a bit meh.

almost worth it for the illustrations alone

I was first intrigued by this book due to its witchy folklore plot, and I wasn't disappointed. It contains short stories of different types of witches and magical creatures present in folklore, and it was nice to learn about new creatures that I've never read about and their folklore. I believe this will also make a really interesting table book thanks to its gorgeous illustrations.

ARC received by the Publisher Watkins Media via Netgalley.

I was very excited to read this especially as this is by a Hungarian author & a Hungarian illustrator and it is a rare and welcome expereince.

"Ten chapters introduce ten different categories of witches, from curse-bringers, shape-shifters and survivors to revenants, nature witches and fate-turners. Most, but far from all, are women, and their stories come from across the world.

Each chapter is linked to a different card of the Major Arcana and to a stage in the alchemical process of turning base metal to gold. In this way, as you learn about the witches, you will complete a journey of self-discovery and transformation, gleaning wisdom and empowerment from the awe-inspiring magical practitioners of folk tradition and history."

This was an intriguing and fascinating read about a wide range of magical, mythical and real persons from the widely known to the obscure from all over the world and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience especially with fantastic and fantastical illustrations.

Recommended to readers interested in folklore, history, alchemy and mythology.